News Releases

EPA Awards $12 Million to Clean Up New England Brownfield Sites

(Boston, Mass. – May 10, 2013) – EPA has awarded $12 million in Brownfield grants to protect people’s health and lead to a cleaner environment in New England communities.

The grants, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) grants, provide communities with funding necessary to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

In the six New England states, EPA is awarding 54 separate grants to 32 different recipient organizations. The funding is part of more than $62 million in EPA Brownfields investments awarded across the country.

“EPA’s Brownfields money has proven to be an important catalyst for local communities to get under-utilized properties assessed and cleaned up, and back into productive use,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA New England’s office. “This grant money will help reclaim sites containing hazardous substances, petroleum products and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites helps create jobs, provides a solid foundation for a community to create new businesses and neighborhood centers, and makes our environment cleaner and our communities healthier.”

In New England, since the beginning of the Brownfields program, EPA has awarded 295 assessment grants totaling $84.1 million, 63 revolving loan fund grants and supplemental funding totaling $77.5 million and 199 cleanup grants totaling $53.9 million. These grant funds have paved the way for more than $1.6 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for over 12,000 jobs in assessment, cleanup, construction and redevelopment. These investments and jobs target local, under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. On average $17.79 is leveraged for every EPA Brownfields grant dollar spent. When Brownfields are addressed, nearby property values can increase 2-3 percent. A 2011 pilot study indicated Brownfields site redevelopment increases location efficiency, which means that residents live closer to where they work and play reducing their commute times and greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s preliminary research has also shown that redeveloping Brownfield sites results in an efficient reuse of existing infrastructure and decreasing instances of stormwater runoff. These projects can have a positive impact on community revitalization by leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods.

In New England, the following Brownfields grants have been awarded to conduct community-wide site assessments and cleanups: